


We are the Village Green Preservation Society

by mechanonymouse



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Gen, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 10:23:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10511829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mechanonymouse/pseuds/mechanonymouse
Summary: Gujic and Sons cope with problems of building for a very variable population while Zootopia Heritage try to prevent them from damaging the historic atmosphere of important landmarks.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HopefulNebula](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopefulNebula/gifts).



There are regulations

 

  * All species must be able to access and use all public buildings
  * No species may be confined to a single area of the city by action or inaction



 

but Zootopia isn't the modern dream of a city. It grew and contracted organically. A hodgepodge of districts with different groups alternately relegated to the unpleasant bits depending on current opinion. Until a chimpanzee town planner decided to force a grid on it. An angry and superior chimpanzee, Frank Barnes, was too.

 

Zootopia Heritage was created in response to him and concerned itself with protecting important buildings that were not quite where he wanted them. It was a necessary and selfless task that they were under recognised for but, like all organisations, their remit grew and a century after Frank Barnes' great modernisation policy Zootopia Heritage still existed. Now Zootopia Heritage listings were legally binding and it is the job of people like Matthew Gujic and his team to navigate the mine field of historic buildings.

 

"Where are we?" he asked coiled in his desk chair. His hands, Rocco Addams, poised at the white board.

 

"Zootopia Central Free Library," Donal Boyle, a fidgety hedgehog, began. "ZH approved the external modifications late Friday, Procurement are raising the purchase order today, we will know delivery dates by Tuesday latest. ZH rejected the use of automated plant." Rocco swapped pen colour and flipped the white board, writing 'scheduling conflicts? small plant/manual Donal to feedback post P - wed pm'. Donal's spines relaxed back and he sat down.

 

“ZPG roof replacement.” Adeline Jones bit out her ears and whiskers back in frustration. “Procurement have confirmed six-month minimum lead time for the roofing supplies specified by ZH. I have two proposals ready to present but the lead assessor has indicated he will reject.” She flexed her claws.

 

“Who?” Matthew asked.

 

“Thomas Clawhauser. Focal point of the square, any difference will have a significant impact on appearance and heritage.” She responded tail flicking viciously, a hiss to her voice.

 

“Rocco book a lunch meeting.” Matthew said to Rocco, who had already written it on the board. The black mask surrounding his face crinkled in a frown as he faced the room. “Addy send me the temporary solution proposal.” She nodded and sat her already using the phone in her hand to send the email.

 

“Warf regeneration project has public consultation on Thursday.” Jessica Leporidae said her ears tall above her head and nose twitching slightly. “The CAD visualisations are up to date and the physical models are expected back from the modeler Tuesday PM. No problems expected but I would appreciate if you could come to the unveiling.” She smiled at the end and hopped to sit back on her stool.

 

“Project SNAFU has not reported any new problems since the last update.” Jeremey Ferrer said in a droning voice, his long neck hung limply down and his eyes were heavily lidded. “Still six months behind. We have a six-month lead time for more stone but ZH have approved temporary boarding which will start going up on Wednesday. The stone masons will be working through the down time but all other resources are available for redeployment.”

 

“We have three new project briefs on the shared area. Jeremey and Jessica, I want initial proposals and costings on my desk Thursday.” Matthew said, a sibilant hiss escaping with each “s” and his forked tongue flicking his nose slightly as he finished. “Is there any other business?” There was no response so he continued, “Thank you, for your time.” He said and then slithered down from his stool. “Rocco will email the meeting minutes later today. See you all next week.”

 

They each trailed out leaving Matthew and Rocco. “Arrange a meeting with Addy after the meeting with Clawhauser. Not Thursday, Rocco, you’ve got leave in the afternoon. ”

 

* * *

 

Jessica took the medium animal exit off the subway and walked the two blocks across Little Rodentia to the studio of Maximillian Rodia, the modeler they typically used for public display models. Unlike most places in Little Rodentia, Rodia’s studio was a commercial building designed to be useable by animals of all sizes. To the small mammals that worked there it was a three-story building but the main entrance extended the full height of the building, allowing large animals entrance. From the main entrance meeting rooms of varying heights spiralled off. The tallest were at the front of the building and the smallest at the back. Jessica’s meeting with Rodia was in room 7A, a medium sized room with a gallery on the top floor allowing small animals to walk between offices on the other sides of the room and for meeting with larger groups of small animals to take place. The last major pubic consultation in Little Rodentia had taken place in this room.

 

Rodia had the model already laid out on the conference table and was stood inside conversing with one of his assistants when Jessica entered the room. “Miss Leporidae,” he said, “thank you for coming.” As always, speaking to Rodia left her feeling like she had been coated with a thin film of grease.

 

“Mr Rodia, a great job as usual.” she replied circling the model.

 

“We aim to please Miss Leporidae.” Rodia clasped one pad of her paw in his small paw, his claws pricking her, and kissed it. Letting go he clicked his fingers and his assistant raced away coming back with a small army of mice to carry the model into the waiting van. “We will invoice Gujic this afternoon.”

 

“Thank you.” Jessica said.

 

* * *

 

Rocco had arranged a working lunch at Restaurant DeMarco, three doors down from ZH headquarters and half the city away from Gujic and Sons. Gujic and Son’s aimed to reduce their environmental impact where ever possible and had won the Green Business award seven years in a row for the category. This year they had begun an initiative to use public transport where possible but the subway was never much fun for a snake and arriving hot and bothered to a meeting with a dogged Thomas Clawhauser was asking for trouble so Rocco drove them to the restaurant.

 

Even with Rocco’s careful planning Thomas had arrived irritated. The office grapevine suggested his husband was having trouble at work. Whatever the reason, Thomas refused to entertain the concept of compromise and Matthew left the meeting just as frustrated as Clawhauser had arrived.

 

They arrived back from the meeting to see Donal and Johan, from procurement, waiting outside Matthew’s office with a laptop and project print outs on the table in front of them. “Five minutes.” he said as he slithered past them.

 

Once Rocco had closed the door he sighed. “Get me a meeting with Duncan this week. Arrange a meeting with Addy, Jeremey, Donal and Johan before that meeting.” he paused, “Actually hold that and let Donal and Johan in.”

 

The two walked in leaving the laptop closed on the desk and bringing the colourful project plans with them.

 

“What’s the problem?” Matthew asked reclining in his chair.

 

“We need to reallocate personnel from the Castle and Portrait Gallery projects to meet the lead times for the Library project.” Johan said.

 

“I checked with Adeline and Jeremey. SNAFU is on hold and Adeline says they either won’t need the personnel because the building will be unsound or they’ll still be waiting on materials.” Donal showed the charts. “We just need you to approve the transfer.”

 

“If you add in the detailing that was rejected on cost grounds in proposal…” Matthew trailed off, “Rocco?”

 

“Five sir.”

 

“-five, how much time would that add? Would it knock on to any other projects?”

 

“Three weeks.” Donal said immediately.

 

“No problem. Even with the reallocations some of the personnel assigned to the Castle would have been on float for six weeks.” Johan said pointing at the relevant places on his chart.

 

“Agree that with Addy and Jeremey then send me the authorisation,” Matthew turned to Rocco, “and get me that meeting with Duncan.”

 

* * *

 

The meeting with Duncan had to be delayed until Friday because they were both required at the public meeting to discuss the Warf regeneration project. Jessica was understandably nervous about presenting her first major project as Senior Project Manager but Matthew was impressed with the forethought she had put into the presentation.

 

The Warf regeneration project wasn’t a difficult sell to the public. Cleaning up and reusing a deserted area known for crime always goes down well and the initial brief had been clear on the requirements for affordable downtown housing for singles and families. The proposal, agreed by ZH and City Planning, that Jessica was presenting included a new integrated elementary school, a park with a recreation ground where a burnt-out warehouse currently crumbled, another of the warehouse would be converted to a shopping centre. The proposed housing varied from three bedroom apartments taking over the entire bottom floor of a warehouse suitable for elephants to one bed attic studios for mice.

 

Jessica’s posters showed the CAD visualisations of the whole neighbourhood before showing individual areas. She had steered clear of too displaying many personal items in the sample spaces instead showing how much could fit and what the expected prices where. She had arranged the posters well to engage the public as they arrived. Most of the attendees were excitedly discussing the posters and the possibilities of the new community as they mingled before the presentation began. Even the latest “savage pred” news was left aside to better discuss the redevelopment.

 

Matthew saw Duncan direct one of his juniors to stand near a chronic complainer but overall it went well. Only the expected complaints that not enough of the housing would be affordable were raised and there were no objections to the development progressing.

 

Jessica was shaking with relief so hard that her whiskers and the tips of her ears were a blur but she had a giant grin that she couldn’t shift as they ended the meeting. Matthew had Rocco drive her home so she wouldn’t vibrate herself off the train and took the metro home to his burrow. When he slipped through the door at quarter to twelve he could hear his family were already asleep but there was a shaky “Good Luck Daddy” note stuck to the fridge and his favourite meal in the fridge.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the rl friend who beta'd this.


End file.
